White House holds off rival Patriots

WHITE HOUSE The White House High School baseball team hasn’t been very effective offensively over its first two games.

However, the team’s limited production was just enough to allow the Blue Devils to claim a 3-2 victory over visiting White House Heritage on Thursday evening.

The rivals played two days earlier on the Patriots’ home field, with White House Heritage capturing a 3-1 win.

“It’s a very important win, considering we just came back from losing to them,” Blue Devil junior first baseman Dillon Draper said. “It’s a district game. It’s an incredible win.”

White House (1-1 overall, 1-1 in District 9-AA) won despite producing just three hits.

“The thing we keep talking about is execution,” Blue Devil head coach Seth Long said. “We’re trying to get ourselves in a good hitters count, a fastball count. That’s mental. It doesn’t take a lot of talent to do that. It’s something we need to do to put ourselves in a position to win.”

A pair of second-inning doubles gave the Patriots the lead. Senior Grayson Sherman doubled to rightfield, driving in two runs.

However, White House senior right-hander Landon Sewell allowed just three more hits. In 6 and 2/3 innings of work, Sewell – a Freed-Hardeman University signee – scattered six hits, issued one base on balls and struck out 13 hitters.

Sewell left the game after giving up a two-out single in the top of the seventh to junior leadoff hitter Cody Baker. Senior left-hander Luke Hopkins came on to earn the save, striking out the left-handed-hitting Chance Harp to end the contest.

White House Heritage (1-2, 1-1) committed a pair of errors in the third inning, allowing Blue Devil seniors Brian Mullins and Noah Burden to reach safely. After Burden stole second base, Hopkins hit a soft single to centerfield, driving in both runners.

Draper came through with a two-out single to rightfield, driving in Hopkins with what proved to be the game-winning run.

“We need (those runs) to keep our pitcher good, to let him know we’re still here and we’re willing to fight with him,” Draper said. “It’s (a matter of) hitting what you want to hit … don’t chase anything bad. Just go up there thinking, ‘I’m going to get on base.’”

White House’s only other hit came as Hopkins reached on an infield single in the fifth inning.

Burden – the rightfielder – made a sprawling catch of Jacob Thompson’s line drive with two runners in scoring position and one out in the top of the fifth. Harp was on second base and was running on the play, and he couldn’t retreat to second base before Burden’s throw arrived there, resulting in an inning-ending double play.

“It was definitely a big game,” Long said. “It’s a district game. They’re right down the road.

“We had to scrap it together, but it’s definitely a big win.”

The Blue Devils continue district play with a home-and-home series against Harpeth on Monday and Tuesday, hosting Monday’s contest at 7 p.m.

Reach Craig Harris atcharris@mtcngroup.com or at 615-575-7138. Follow him on Twitter @HarrisGNESports.

White House Heritage  020 000 0 – 2 6 4

White House     003 000 x – 3 3 3

Tyler Leding and Austin Wood; Landon Sewell, Luke Hopkins (7) and Cody Gentile. WP – Sewell (1-0). LP – Leding (0-1). Save – Hopkins (1). Records: White House Heritage 1-2 overall, 1-1 in District 9-AA; White House 1-1, 1-1.